button in SafariDmitrii Nazarov Bursts Bubble to Lead Merit Poker Main Event Day 1b
Another busy day inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa saw 228 entries added to the field in the $5,500 Merit Poker Main Event at the Merit Poker Noir Series, as a mix of old and new players started their pursuit of a share of the $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
A second long day on the felt saw only 34 players manage to navigate their way into the money and secure a place on Day 2. With Day 1b now complete, the field stands at 444 entries, while 66 players have already booked their return for the second day of play. With the final two flights still to come, the tournament looks well on course to surpass its guarantee.
The man leading the way at the end of the night, and overall, was Russia's Dmitrii Nazarov, who bagged 2,025,000 after bursting the bubble in the biggest pot of the tournament so far. Nazarov found himself on the right side of a cooler against Hassan Nashar, sending the latter to the rail as the unfortunate bubble boy of the flight and becoming the first player to break the two million mark.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dmitrii Nazarov | Russian Federation | 2,025,000 | 101 |
| 2 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 1,945,000 | 97 |
| 3 | Alexander Sokolovsky | Serbia | 1,500,000 | 75 |
| 4 | Or Suliman | Israel | 1,360,000 | 68 |
| 5 | Chengxu Hu | China | 1,170,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Ahmed Sylla | France | 950,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Natalia Nikitina | Russian Federation | 940,000 | 47 |
| 8 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russian Federation | 880,000 | 44 |
| 9 | Martins Adeniya | United Kingdom | 870,000 | 44 |
| 10 | Sebastian Toro | Colombia | 840,000 | 42 |
Sitting just behind Nazarov in second is Aren Bezhanyan with 1,945,000. Bezhanyan spent much of the day occupying one of the top spots on the leaderboard, eliminating Tobias Peters, Wael Sarkis, and Stefan-Sebastian Ionita along the way. Aided by a handful of preflop races going his way, the Armenian finished the night just a few big blinds adrift of Nazarov.
One of the more intriguing stories of the day belonged to Alexander Sokolovsky. After scraping through Day 1a with the shortest stacks in the field and already locking up a cash, Sokolovsky returned for another shot in Day 1b and turned a fresh starting stack into 1,500,000, good for third place on the day. Only Sokolovsky knows whether he will take to the baize once again and attempt to pull off an unprecedented third, or perhaps even fourth, cash in the same event.
With 35 players remaining and just 34 places paid, all eyes were fixed on the table of Nashar and Nazarov. The two were at the center of the biggest pot of the tournament so far, and after using several time banks, Nashar called off his tournament with a rivered flush. Unfortunately for him, Nazarov had a full house, bringing play to an end for the day, sending the remaining players into the money and handing Nashar the unwanted title of Day 1b bubble boy.
Plenty of other familiar faces found a bag by the end of the night. Chengxu Hu (1,170,000) finished inside the top five, while Ahmed Sylla (950,000), Aleksandr Chernikov (880,000), Martins Adeniya (870,000), and Sebastian Toro (840,000) all turned their starting stacks into sizeable bags. Ali Al-Kubasi (790,000) and Dmytro Yevseienko (790,000) also progressed comfortably and will return with their sights firmly set on making a deep run.
Also making it through to Day 2 were Natalia Nikitina (940,000) and Yuxi Huang (780,000), the only two women to survive the flight. Merit Poker Cup fifth-place finisher Adrian State (665,000) also survived, while Patrick Brooks (505,000), recent High Roller fourth-place finisher Zorlu Er (370,000), and Dietrich Fast (360,000) all secured their spots in Day 2.
All eyes now turn to Tuesday, August 4, with the final two starting flights still to play. Day 1c gets underway at noon and will feature 30-minute levels, before players have one final opportunity to make it through during the turbo Day 1d flight, which kicks off at 6 p.m. with levels reduced to 25 minutes.
Remaining Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 4 | Day 1c | 12 p.m. | 30 minutes |
| August 4 | Day 1d | 6 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| August 5 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 6 | Final Day | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
PokerNews will continue to provide live coverage from the Merit Poker Noir Series, bringing you all the latest updates as the $5,500 Main Event continues to unfold.